welcome home baby
by theevilqueenoflegopeople
Summary: caitlin comes home after many years of being away. happily moving in with Griffin and Eric.
1. Default Chapter

A/n: my second shot at a Caitlin's way fic. Please R&R enjoy ^_^  
  
Caitlin looked out of the cab window bordly. *same old fields, same old grass, same old ranch.* she thought as she watched the changing scenery. She was on her way back to the ranch after living in New York for three years. now she was finally back for a surprise visit. No one new she was back. In fact the only reason she had come back here was because the magazine she worked for wanted her to go some place where there was lots of beautiful, green, mountain side scenery at hand. And naturally Caitlin thought of home.  
  
"20 dollars exactly ms.' Said the cab driver, turning around to look at her. She handed him the bill and got out of the cab dragging her full suit case and purse with her. Slowly she walked to the front door and pushed it open.  
  
'hello! Any one here?' she called out. No one seemed to here her though she heard familiar voices in the kitchen. So naturally that's where she went. Leaving her suit case in the front hall.  
  
She walked into the big country style kitchen o find Jim, Dory, Brett, Eric and Griffin all either standing by the counter or sitting at the table. The first one to notice her was Eric who was the closest one to her. she watched as his face turned serious and the smile faded, but the happiness and confusion still in his eyes.  
  
'Caitlin?' he asked not quite sure if he should believe what he was seeing or not. She had told him before she left that the last thing she ever wanted to do was come back here. The otheres hadn't noticed yet and hadn't heard him say her name. She smiled sweetl at him. a smile he never in amillion years he would ever see her give to him.  
  
'hi Eric.' She said quietly. 'did you miss me?' she asked. That same sweet smile still playing on her glossed lips.  
  
'are you crazy? Of course I missed you.' He v=cried and wrapped her in a hug, listing her off the ground. Now they had the others attention (seeing that Eric had basically been yelling in surprise) and were now looking at the two old friends embracing each other.  
  
'Caitlin?' she smiled at the sound of Griffins voice. It was different hearing it in person again instead of on the phone where they had spent countless hours and long distance minutes talking to each other. He jumped from his chair and went to hug her as well. Eric set her back on the ground reluctantly wanting to hold her petite, slender form in his arms. Afraid she might disappear before his eyes like it had all been some kind of dream. Hugs and kisses continued to go around the room for another five minutes as family and friends were reunited again. Once the excitement had settled down Caitlin sat at the kitchen table with the three boys, Jim and Dory.  
  
'well I had to come back. My employer wanted beautiful country style landscaping so I told him about here and he sent me right away.' She said, answering Jim's question.  
  
'well do you have a place to stay yet?' asked Dory ion her worried motherly voice.  
  
'umm.. No not exactly. Not yet anyway.'  
  
'well you can stay with us then.' Said Griffin indicating to himself and Eric. ' we have an extra bedroom and stuff you can live with us.' He continued enthusiastically.  
  
'well I..I don't no.' she said looking hesitantly at Eric.  
  
'please Caitlin. Please.' She sighed and rolled her eyes as Griffin begged with the puppy dog look.  
  
'sigh* all right as long as Eric doesn't mind me there.'  
  
'of course I don't.' he said coming out of his dazed look.  
  
'well okay then.' She said smiling happily. Jim and Dory smiled happily at each other. Griffin, Eric, and Caitlin stayed for diner and lounged in the living room talking to Jim until nearly midnight. Finally Eric yawned and suggested they all head home. Jim and Dory kissed Caitlin good bye while Eric and Griffin put her suite cases in the back of Eric's truck. The drive back to Caitlin's new place with Griffin and Eric seemed long to her. When she woke up she was in a bed with sunlight pouring over her through and open window. She stretched and dragged herself out of bed. She found a bathroom and took a quick shower before getting dressed and heading downstairs to find Griffin and Eric. She found Eric in the kitchen but saw no sign of Griffin. She figured he had already headed off to work so she headed into the kitchen and sat down at the table with Eric, who was munching on a half eaten bowl of lucky charms.  
  
'sleep well?' he asked between mouthfuls of dissolving marshmallows. She nodded her head slightly.  
  
'I don' remember getting into bed though.'  
  
'that's cause you fell asleep in the truck and I had to carry you upstairs while Griffin grabbed your stuff from the back.' She nodded again and headed over to the refrigerator to see if she could find anything to eat. She was surprised when she opened the door and found it almost completely empty. All that was in there was a half carton of milk, a box of baking soda and a green moldy container that she thought she saw move.  
  
'umm Eric?'  
  
'yeah'  
  
'when was the last time you or Griffin went for grocery's?' she asked looking in the cupboards to only find dishes and a box of lucky charms.  
  
'umm.. About a month or so ago. Why?'  
  
' are you telling me that the majority of your diet is lucky charms?' she asked turning to him and raising an eyebrow. He swallowed what he had been chewing and looked over at her, a half smile gracing his face.  
  
'maybe.' He mumbled. She rolled her eyes at his response and grabbed her purse.  
  
'hey where you going?' he called after her as she made her way through the house to the front door.  
  
' to buy some food!' she called back.  
  
'well wait for me I'm coming with you.' He yelled back and hurried from his seat at the table. Grabbing his car keys as he went. 


	2. lucky charms

A/n; second chapter please R&R  
  
Caitlin impatiently waited for him by the passengers side door of his truck as she watched him run out of the house to meet her.  
  
"where's griffin? Gone to work?"  
  
"yep. He usually leaves around six." He said when they pulled into the super market parking lot a few minutes later.  
  
"what about you?"  
  
"I just got fired so I help my dad out with the ranch sometimes. We'll at least until I get another job. I put in an application at the pro shop a couple weeks ago but I don't think I'll get the job." She waited for him by the doors as he brought back a cart and they continued on.  
  
"well what about you? You have that sweet photographers job with that magazine. You get to travel and shit"  
  
"yeah it's okay. Not exactly national geographic but its good enough to pay for food and a New York apartment. I have no complaints. Except one of my bosses is always a real bitch cause she has a crush on this other guy but he kind of likes me so he doesn't pay any attention to her so she takes it out on me which totally sucks." She mumbled as they walked down the isle throwing random items into the cart.  
  
"and what's so special about this guy?" asked Erik as when they stopped in the cereal isle.  
  
"damned if I no. I don't even know why he even takes a second glance at me. My boss, the one that likes him is way prettier then me."  
  
"what are you talking about. Your pretty. There's nothing wrong with you."  
  
"your not planning on buying ALL of those Lucky Charms are you?" she asked raising an eyebrow at his arms where he was staking box upon box of them.  
  
"I love these things. There is nothing wrong with Lucky Charms." He defended, dumping the arm load on top of everything else in the cart. Which was staked high already. Caitlin rolled her eyes at him and continued on down the isle. Finishing up they went through the check out lines and headed back home once everything had been placed in the back of the truck.  
  
Caitlin was in the middle of placing some grocery's in the cupboards when she suddenly remembered something. Running up the stairs she burst into Erik's room where he was lying on the bed, a comic book held infront of his face.  
  
"Erik. Will you drive me to Jim and Dory's?" she asked coming over and jumping onto the bed next to him.  
  
"yeah sure. Why you wanna go there all of a sudden?" he questioned as he got up off the bed and followed her down the stairs and out the front door to the truck.  
  
"there's some stuff in my room that I want to get."  
  
"and you want to go get bandit" He said.  
  
"hey how'd you guess that?"  
  
'I don't know just a lucky guess.' He said shrugging as he pulled into the long driveway of the Lowes ranch. Dory had seen the car from the window and walked out to meet them half way.  
  
'hey what brings you guys over here?'  
  
'I wanted to get some things from my room and get bandit.' Dory gave her a warm smile.  
  
'he's in the barn.' She said and watched as Caitlin dashed off in that direction leaving her and Erik.  
  
Caitlin pushed open the barn door with ease and made her way down the line of stalls until she stopped at one near the middle. She pushed open the little gate and stepped inside. There standing before her was her pride and joy still looking as young and elegant as the day she left him.  
  
'he there boy. Did you miss me?' she asked as she gently stroked his coat and muzzle.  
  
Erik sat at the kitchen table drinking from a mug of steaming coffee, occasionally looking out the window towards the barn. Caitlin soon returned to the house a few minutes later and went up to her old bedroom. She emerged some time later with a box and some bags. Erik took them from her and set them in the back of his truck. She walked back to the barn after telling him she'd be home later with bandit. 


End file.
